Kahk Cookies

5 cups all purpose flour

1¼ cups milk

2-2 ½ cups ghee

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon clove powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 teaspoon yeast

2 tablespoons baking powder

Filling/Stuffing

2cups dates paste

1 cup chopped pistachio

 About the image above: Egyptian kahk cookies

Combine the flour, powdered spices and baking powder, sieve and keep aside.

In a pot put the ghee on the head until boiling and add the flour mixture slowly and stir continuously with a wooden spatula and it set.

Take out from the fire and cool a bit, when the mixture bit cool but still warm add the yeast and sugar and stir gently.

Form the dough into balls and stuff inside with nuts and dates paste. Arrange them on a baking tray. Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Take out from the oven and allow cooling, sprinkle with sugar powder before serving. Makes about 60-80 pieces

Ballah Hassem - Sweet Fritters

2 cups flour, shifted

8-10 eggs

2 cups water

200 grams margarine

2 cup oil to fry

Bring a heavy saucepan to medium high heat with water and margarine to boil. Add the shifted flour slowly and stir with wooden spoon until the dough becoming stiff and form a ball. Remove the dough from the head and place into a clean bowl to cool it down.

About the image above: balah hassem

Combine the eggs into the dough one by one; make sure the dough is soft and elastic. Filled a pot with frying oil and let the oil hot at the temperature to fry the dough. Filled the dough into clean piping bag, and gently drop the dough into hot oil. Let do this sequence until all of the dough has been fried. Turn the fried dough and make sure it cooks from every angle to golden brown, use a skimmer to turn the dough. Remove from the hot oil when it cooked and place them on a tray with paper napkin underneath to absorb the excess of the oil.

The next step is to dip the fritters into thick heavy syrup for 1-2 minutes to coat the fritters. You can serve warm or cold.  Makes about 25-30 pieces.

For the syrup

1 kilogram sugar

½ kilogram water

200 grams glucose

1-2 pieces juice of lime

Combine the ingredients and dissolve them in a pot over the heat slowly. Take out from the heat after the sugar dissolved.

Helpful Hints

Prepare the syrup earlier at least a day before so easier for you when you prepare the fritters. You can keep the syrupy fritters in your fridge for longer self-life of 3-4 days.

If you do not like with syrup, you can dust some powdered sugar after you fry.

Swaba Zainab - Lady Finger Cookies

500 grams semolina flour

250 grams margarine

5 grams sugar

10 grams yeast

5 grams salt

1 kilograms flour

About the image above: swaba zainab cookies

Combine all ingredients in a machine and mix well. Leave the dough a while to ferment.

Cut the dough and form to a cylindrical lady finger size of cookies. Repeat the sequence until all of the dough has formed to the finger cookies

Prepare oil in a deep-fryer of pot to fry the cookies. Fry them until it turn to golden brown. And take out from the oil and left to cool.

Meanwhile prepare the syrup to coat the cookies. As soon as the cookies cool, plunge them to the syrup for about 2-4 minutes to coat and give sweetness to the cookies.

Take out from the syrup and keep in the room temperature. Serve as afternoon tea accompaniments or together with other Middle East sweet as dessert. Makes 750 grams

Notes: swaba zainab means lady finger in Arabic language.

For the syrup

1 kilogram sugar

½ kilogram water

200 grams glucose

1-2 pieces juice of lime

Combine the ingredients and dissolve them in a pot over the heat slowly. Take out from the heat after the sugar dissolved.

Helpful Hints

Prepare the syrup earlier when you want to make this swaba zainab. You can prepare the swaba zainab at least a day before the party and keep in a covered try at room temperature.